Reba McEntire made one hard decision after a friend survived this scary situation

Reba McEntire has been the queen of country music for decades. 

There’s a side of her that fans never get to see. 

And Reba McEntire made one hard decision after a friend survived this scary situation. 

Reba McEntire helped a friend return to acting after a stroke 

Actor Christopher Rich played the ex-husband of country music legend Reba McEntire on the WB sitcom Reba. 

Rich’s character, a dentist, divorced Reba on the show to marry a much younger dental hygienist who worked for him. 

Despite the tension on the show, Rich and Reba are friends off the set. 

The 71-year-old actor suffered a stroke in 2018 that forced him to put his career on hiatus. 

Rich made his return to acting with a guest appearance on Reba’s new NBC sitcom Happy’s Place. 

“I mean, I’ve basically taken the last decade off,” Rich told Entertainment Tonight. “And if anybody was going to drag me out of the dark corner of the closet, it would be the redhead.”

Many of the same actors, crew, and producers on Reba went to work on Happy’s Place. 

That level of comfort made it easy for Rich to return to acting. 

“I feel so bizarre recovering from the stroke thing that I didn’t even want to go out of my house for a lot of the time,” Rich said. “But, [Reba and Melissa Peterman] got me back out. They would invite me to parties and reunion things.” 

Actress Melissa Peterman played Rich’s wife on Reba and stars in Happy’s Place. 

Rich said that he felt safe enough to “trot [his] broken body out again” for the guest-starring appearance. 

“I love these two so much,” Rich said about Reba and Peterman. “It means the world to me.”

Reba and Peterman helped him with his recovery from the stroke. 

“I mean, they came to my hospital bed; they sent me gifts,” Rich stated. “Melissa used to come over and bring me treats all the time in the hospital. And she was such a great supporter.”

The cast of Reba still has a close-knit bond

Reba went off the air in 2007, but the cast of the show still remains close to this day. 

“I’m still extremely close with those cast members, they really are a family. I loved playing [Brock],” Rich revealed. 

Rich called Reba a “sister” and said that he was good friends with her current boyfriend, Rex Linn, who also stars in Happy’s Place. 

His guest appearance was like a Reba reunion for him. 

“Her present boyfriend, Rex Linn, is one of my besties,” Rich said. 

He was able to hang out with Peterman, Linn, and Reba during filming. 

“It’s glorious to me where life has brought us all to be honest. It’s really fabulous. I’m so happy that she’s happy, and she’s happy that we got to spend time together. And Rex is happy and I’m happy for Rex … it’s just a joyous time,” Rich explained. 

Reba McEntire helped her friend and former co-star get back to doing what he loves after overcoming one of the toughest situations in his life.